a quick turnaround. MWAA ARFF, working with
British Airways, conducted extensive training with
ARFF crews laddering all access points on the
B-747-400. This was a rare opportunity for training
that became a reality through an excellent working
relationship between MWAA and the air carriers.

VICTIM SEARCH, RESCUE AND REMOVAL

One of the most challenging tasks performed byARFF personnel is the search and rescue andultimate removal of passengers who are trapped on adamaged aircraft. As the images from the Continental(Denver, 2008) and Asiana (San Francisco, 2013)accidents and countless others have demonstrated,gaining access to the aircraft may be the easy partof this process. One of the things that may beencountered on the interior of an aircraft accident isthe possibility of passengers still buckled into theirseats, or severely entangled with the remainder of theseats or components of the cabin.

It is important for incident commanders to
determine how many personnel will be needed
for the tasks of interior rescue. These personnel
are not included in any fire attack group that
may be needed to extinguish an interior fire, or
at least hold it in check long enough to have the
aircraft evacuated. When deploying personnel
to the interior, the incident commander must
weigh how many people may be needed to affect
a rescue versus how much room is on the inside
for rescue personnel and any tools that may be
needed. Personnel must also keep in mind that
moving wreckage on the inside of the aircraft is
not considered destruction of evidence if it means
getting to a viable victim.

Once victims are disentangled from the
wreckage, they must be moved to the exits and
removed from the aircraft. It is important for